Method of and apparatus for air conditioning of spinning operations and the like



2 n e & 2

Aug. 12, 1947. M..F. THOMA EI'AL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR AIR CONDITIONING OF SPINNING OPERATIONS AND THE LIKE Filed June 14, 1945 AIR CONDITIONER l a l h." "Ul ulllllll IIIHIHIIHHHlflllllllllllIlll 50E E H R H N m OTC. m H TET T m u o T H EDCkA m van m MwM m lau m W m m Ifl- 12, i 47? M. F. THOMA ETAL 2,425,573

METHOD OF AND'APPARATUS FOR'AIR CONDITIONING OF SPINNING OPERATIONS AND THE LIKE Filed June 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTORS F" mzmmo FZTHOMA 7 J LOUIS ncoTcHE'I'T 3v ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, Fig-i7 OFFICE,

aezas'za rm'rnoo or arm APPdRATUS roa am CONDETIQ TIONS 'H me or sermons or as- Lmn Mcinard F. Thoma, Fltcliburg, and Louis M.

Cotchett, Hingham,Moss.

Application June 14, 1945, Serial No. 599,410

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for the air conditioning of textile operations, such as are carried on in the spinning room of a textile mill.

It has been known for many years that spinning and like operations, as practiced in the textile industry, are carried on with improved results by controlling the temperature and relative humidity of the atmosphere of the particular room in which the spinning operation is carried on. In some cases, such air conditioning has been obtained by introducing water as a fine spray into the atmosphere of the room itself.

In other spinning room installations, previously conditioned air has been introduced into the room through air ducts along the ceiling, in such manner as to set up circulating air currents within the entire room. In conditioning this air before introduction into the room, it has been necessary to cool the air to a temperature considerably below that desired in the room, and to raise the relative humidity of the air to a value consider- According to the present invention, there is provided an improved method of and apparatus for the uniform conditioning of spinning, or other textile operations, just where such conditioning will The most eflective, i. e., in the immediate vicinity of each individual piece of apparatus. Briefly stated, the present invention resides in the introduction of pre-conditioned moisture laden air along each individual spinning frame or other machine, which machine is so constructed that the conditioned air can readily pass to where the spinning or other textile operation takes place.

As a result of this close association of the con-. ditioning means with each individual spinning frame or other machine, it is possible to obtain uniform conditions with respect to a large number ably above that desired for the spinning or other textile operation. This is because the low-temperatured and over-humidified air when forced into the room mixes-with the existing air, with a resulting increase of temperature and a lowering of the relative humidity, in accordance with the volume of conditioned air that is introduced into a room of given size. I

It has been found that the above described conditioning schemes have not given satisfactory results in spinning rooms, by reason of the uneven conditions that necessarily result from the practice of either scheme. For example, the introduction of moisture directly into the room, by spraying, sets up local conditions of high humidity arbitrarily determined by the location of the spray jets. On the other hand, the introduction of previously conditioned air into the spinning room results in an uneven range of temperature, as well as of relative humidity, in accordance with the flow of air from the ceiling inlets along the walls of the room. As a result, optimum conditions for spinning, as regards temperature and relative humidity can exist only at certain locations in the room that areadJacent-to only a relatively small proportion of the total number of spinning frames, or other textile apparatus. Therefore, previous practices in the air conditioning of spinning rooms have not brought about the maintenance of uniform conditions as to temperature and humidity when any considerable number of machines is involved, with a resulting non-uniformity of product.

of machines within one mill. That is to say, the air delivered to any individual machine is adapted to maintain the same conditions of relative humidity and of temperature as are maintained at other machines under the same control. In addition, the conditions over different horizontal zones embracing all machines will be uniform as to each zone, and will be regulated in accordance with the particular textile operation being performed within a given zone. Therefore, the final product of the spinning, or other textile operation. will be of extremely uniform quality, independent of seasonal atmospheric variations, and particularly uniform as regards the property of moisture regain, as will be later explained.

A further advantageous feature of my invention resides in the fact that due to the special open construction of each spinning frame, or other machine, to permit the ready flow of conditioned air under pressure developed at the conditioning unit, the resulting downwardly moving air streams will bring about a continuous cleaning of all vital parts of the spinning frame, thereby reducing the accumulation of lint and waste products to a' minimum. The above and other advantageous features of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following descrlptionconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1' is a view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of an installation of spinning apparatus embodying the present invention, the

section being on line of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 415 a fragmentary view, in end elevation I ,located in a spinning room. 2. It is to be noted that the height of the ceiling 3 of the spinning room is only slightly greater than the overall height of thespinning machines l; for example, in the neighborhood of 7 feet. This reduced height of the spinning room 2 isin contrast to the .usual height-of 14 to 15 feet of the ceilings in spinning rooms employing the air conditioning schemes previously referred to.

As best'shownv in Fig. 4, each spinning machine l consists of a base 4 on which is mounted a specially constructed open-work frame 5, the details of The frame 5 serves to support a suitable creel comprising a series of spools 5 from which roving l' is drawn by rolls 8 for winding on rotatably driven spindles 9, in a manner usual with the operation of spinning machinery. v

In accordance with the present invention, each spinning machine I has associated therewith an air conditioning conduit l extending longituwhich will be'hereinafter described.

duitopenings 0 in the direction of the spools 8,

drawing rolls 8 and spindles 9.

As previously pointed out, the frame is specially constructed to permit free circulation of the conditioned air as delivered by the condpit l0 through the openings 0. To this end/,the inside of the frame 5 is hollow, with the side walls l3 thereof providing windows It extending adjacent .to the spindles 9. The, sides l3 of the frame 5 converge above the drawing rolls 8 and the converging sides provide windows l5 between the rolls 8 and the longitudinal rails IS on which the spools 6 are mounted, see Fig. 5.

dinally of the frame 5, with the conduit l0 being just below the ceiling 3 of the spinning room 2..

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the several spaced conduits ill of adjacent machines I on one side of the center line of the room are all connected to a suitable cross duct ll extending transverselyof the conduits Ill, and each cross duct II is, connected to a main supply duct l2 extending the entire length of the spinning room 2, It is to be noted that the cross ducts ll ,and'the main supply duct I! are located above the" ceiling 3, which, as previously pointed out, is relatively low, so that there is ample space between the ceiling and the roof of the room for the air conditioning ducts H and I2.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the main supply duct I2 is connected to an air conditioning unit indicated diagrammatically at C. This conditioning unit C provides suitable means for supplying conditioned air, under pressure, to the main duct l2, from which it is distributed to all of the individual machineconduits Ill through the cross ducts II. The air conditioner C comprises suitable means for heating or cooling the air delivered .to the main duct l2, as well as for humidifying this air to closely control the relative humidity thereof. The conditioner C is so constructed as to automatically cotnrol the conditions of temperature and humidity, as well as the amount of pressure,

so that the conditioned air delivered to each individual machine I by its conduit ID has the same temperature and relative humidity within deflnite values, later discussed in detail.

Each conduit in is provided with a number of sets of openings 0, corresponding in number to the number of spools 6 on the associated machine I. Two openings 0-4 and 0-2 of each "set are inclined on opposite sides of the conduit l0 toward the spools 6, with a third opening 03'directed downwardly between each pair of spools. Therefore, when conditioned air is supplied to the conduit Ill under pressure, a large number of air blasts will be delivered downwardly by the consystem.

The top member of the frame 5 provides slot l8 extending-between the middle conduit openings O3, with the top member l1 further providing spaced arms IQ for supporting the rails I6. Therefore, conditioned air delivered downwardly through the conduit openings O-l, 0-2 and 0-3 is entirely free to pass around the spools 8 and the rolls 8 and to enter the interior of the frame through the windows I5 and slots l8. Fur

thermore, the air within the frame is free to pass through the windows M in the sides of the frame, so as to pass around and between the spindles 8, all as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4.

In carrying out the air conditioning of the spinning machines I with the apparatus described above, the air is delivered to each duct Ill at a temperature only slightly below the temperature that it is desired to maintain in the neighborhood of the spindles 9, where the actual spinning operation takes place. Furthermore, the air delivered to each duct I0 is further conditioned so that the relative humidity thereof is only slightly greater than the relative humidity that it is desired to maintain around the spindles 9.

Assuming, for example, that optimum condi- I tions for spinning a given type of roving 1 require a temperature of 75 degrees F. and a relative humidity of 56 percent, then the air delivered to each duct "I would be conditioned toa temperature of 70 degrees F., with a relative humidity of 60 percent. The above noted figures are given by way of illustration and' hav'e been applied to Fig. 4 in order to graphically illustrate the conditions that obtain with respect to each spinning machine within thespinning room. words, the conditions are uniform and such uniformity can be maintained by suitable automatic control of the temperature and humidity of/the conditioned air delivered to each-duct ill by the conditioner C.

As further indicated in Fig. 4, the several downbeen raised to a temperature of substantially degrees F., with the relative humidity reduced to around 54 percent. When these air streams reach the floor, they are converted to upward drafts, either along the walls of the room, or between the frames, due to the increased temperature, as comparedto the temperature around the ducts Ill. These upwardair currents can be exhausted through the ceiling 4 through outlet openings 20 preferably equipped with filters 2| to clean the air before it is returned to the air conditioning I As previously pointed out, a tageous feature of the invention resides in the fact that the downwardly moving streams of conditioned air will cause a continuous cleaning of all vital parts of the spinning machines. The extent of this cleaning effect will be apparentfrom a In other further advan consideration of the direction of air flow, as infrom the machines and readily collected by the air filters 2|. The conditioner C is operated to create sufiicient air pressure in the distributing conduits H). to obtain the desired cleaning effect.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved method of and apparatus for the air conditioning of textileoperations, 'as performed by spinning or like machines, characterized by'the introduction of preconditioned moisture laden air closely adjacent to the places where the textile operations are actually performed. In the case of a spinning machine, the conditioned air is delivered longitudinally of the frame of the machine, so that the air currents will completely traverse the spools, drawing rolls and spindles, with the optimum conditions of temperature and humidity for the spinning operation being maintained uniformly where the spinning occurs, and with a re sultinguniformity of product.

As previously noted, the conditions over different horizontal zones, embracing all machines, will be uniform as to each zone, and this zoning effect is illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 4, where the dot and dash lines generally indicate the divisions between and the approximate the distributing conduit openings O-l, 0-2 and O-3, the conditions as to relative humidity and temperature are as indicated in Fig. 4, namely 60%, and 70, respectively. In the next lower zone II, in the vicinity of the spools 6, the conditions as to relative humidity and temperature are 58% and 72, respectively. Then, in the next lower and most important zone III, which embraces the drawing rolls 8 and spindles 9 of all the machines under control, the conditions are most favorable for the drawn roving i being wound on the spindles 9, namely a relative humidity of 56% at 75. Below that in zone IV, reduced relative humidity of 54% and an increased temperature of 80, do not materially effect the product of the machines.

Whilethe figures given above for the several zones-are to some extent illustrative, the figures do however bear a definite relation to the regain of the product wound on the spindles 9. In the textile art, regain is a term commonly employed to define the ability of a textile product, such as cotton yarn, to recover moisture from the atmos phere. Thus cotton yarn at 65% relative hu midity, or above, and at 75 temperature will possess a moisture regain of 8%, and it is known that the tensile strength of yarn will vary directly with this property of regain. The extent to which regain decreases with a lowering of relative hu-= midity is indicated by the fact that with a re1ative humidity of 45% and a temperature of 75, the regain will be reduced to between 5% and 6%, which is undesirable, in so far as tensile strength is concerned.

Therefore, by definitely controlling the conditions in the different zones as described above, with reference to Figs. 1 and 4, it is possible to wind the drawn roving I on the spindles 9 with 56% relative humidity at 75 temperature, with a regain of at least 7%, which closely approaches the maximum possible regain of 8%, with a relative humidity of 60% and above; it being noted that raising the relative humidity above 65% will not materially increase the regain beyond the basic 8%. Thus, by the practice of the present invention, a uniform product is obtained from all of the machines supplied with conditioned air from the conditioning unit 0, with the final product exhibiting a high tensile strength by reason of keeping regain at a value closely approaching the maximum possible regain under conditions of abnormally high relative humidity.

As will be evident froma consideration of Fig. 1, it is possible to install our improved air conditioning system in existing mills by installing a relatively low ceiling 3 below the existing top of a high ceiling room, with the main and auxiliary air supply ducts l2 and H being located in the space above the ceiling 3. However, when incorporating our system in a new mill building at the time of its construction, it would be possible to reduce the actual height of a spinning room to substantially correspond to the overall height of the machines, plus the vertical dimensions of the several ducts. For this reason, a great deal of space could be saved in a new building provided withconditioning apparatus incorporating our invention, as compared to existing textile mills, wherein it has heretofore been necessary t provide spinning rooms with extremely high ceilings, in order to obtain a general circulation of conditioned air above the individual machines and along the sides of the rooms.

We claim:

1. The improvement in the air conditioning of a complete textile operation as performed in a closed room by a large number of similar machines each adapted to perform a similar textile operation involving for each machine a roving supply a drafting process and twisting and packaging process, which consists in conditioning air to a predetermined degree as to relative humidity and temperature and introducing such conditioned air simultaneously to all of said machines in a plurality of separate downwardly directed streams to all of said machines so that the relative humidity is greatest and the temperature lowest at the roving supply and with the relative humidity gradually diminishing and the temperature increasing at said drafting, twisting, and packaging processes, in the same degree with respect to each machine to positively control the regain of the yarn and thereby obtain a uniform product from the textile operation accompanied by upward exhaust of the used air from between the machines.

2. The-improvement in the air conditioning of a complete textile operation as performed in a closed room by a large number of similar machines each adapted to perform a similar textile operation involving for each machine a roving supply, a drafting process and a twisting and packaging process, which consists in conditioning air to a predetermined degree as to relative humidity and temperature and introducing such conditioned air in a'plurality of separate downwardly directed streams to all of said machines, starting at the .roving supply where the relative humiditly is greatest and temperature lowest and progressively affecting the drafting, twisting and packaging process with decreasing relative hum midity and increasing temperature. and with the free and unconfined passage of such conditioned air streams over each machine being accompanied by a continuouscleaning effect with relation to all of said processes and the removal of waste products therefrom for deposit on the floor of the room.

and the upward exhaust oi the used air from betaneous performance of complete spinning operations .on diflerent lengths of roving, means for conditioning a supply of air to a predetermined degree as to relative humidity andternperature, means for delivering such conditioned air simultaneously to all of said machines by. separate conduits extending longitudinally of each machine, with the conditioned air being directed downwardly, with each machine being of such open construction as regards spools, rolls and spindles as to freely permit passage of said conditioned air successively to the spools drawing rolls and spindles and means disposed between said machines for exhausting the conditioned air upwardly after its relatively humidity has been reduced and its temperature increased by passage downwardly over each machine.

4. Apparatus for the performance of a spinning operation, comprising in combination, a machine providing a series of spools, drawing rolls and spindles for the simultaneous performance of complete spinning operations on difl'erent lengths of roving, said spools, drawing rolls and spindles being disposed in substantially vertical alignment on opposite sides of the frame of the machine, means for conditioning air to a predetermined degree, as to relative humidity and temperature, and a conduit extending longitudinally above said machine and connected to said air conditioning means, for directing separate streams of conditioned air downwardly on each side of the machine frame, with said conditioned air streams having free passage successively to the spools, drawing rolls and spindles to positively control the regain of the yarns resulting from said spinning operation.

5. The improvement in the conditioning of a complete textile operation sis-performed in a closed room by a, large number of similar machines each adapted to perform a similar textile operation involving for each machine a roving supply, a drafting process and twisting and packaging process, which consists in conditioning air to a predetermined degree as to relative humidity and temperature and introducing such conditioned air simultaneously to all of said ma- 7 chines in a. plurality of separate downward difile of this patent:

rected streams to all of said machines so that the relative humidity is greatest and the temperature lowest at the roving supply and with the relative humidity gradually diminishing and the temperature increasing at said drafting, twisting and packaging processes, in the same degree with respect to each machine to positively con trol the regain of the yarn and thereby obtain-a uniform product from the textile operation, with the free and unconfined passage of such conditioned air streams over each machine being accompanied by a continuous cleaning effect with relation to all of said processes, and the disposal of waste material therefrom by exhaust of the used air from the room at points removed from where the textile operation is performed,

' MEINARD F. THOMA.

LOUIS M. COTCHZE'I'I,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the UNITED STAT ES PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 3, 1942 

